September 12 – Kyle McCann hit a two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning to support Joey Estes, who pitched effectively in the seventh, as the visiting Oakland Athletics beat the Houston Astros, 5–4.
McCann had a surprise hit against Astros right-hander Hunter Brown (11-8), who dominated the Athletics in his brief career and pinned McCann in five at-bats.
McCann has five strikeouts in his career against the Browns, including strikeouts in the top of the second and fourth innings — the first strikeout and the second strikeout.
But after Brown got rid of the base crowd with two strikeouts in the fifth inning, McCann blasted his fifth home run to left field on Jacob Wilson’s first hit. McCann went the other way with a 1-1 fastball that went 352 feet and allowed a home run in only one other stadium in Boston besides Minute Maid Park, Fenway Park. McCann’s pitch to the Browns gave Oakland a 4-3 lead and Brown was 3-0 with a 1.80 ERA in five starts against the Athletics.
Brown allowed five runs on nine hits in five innings, striking out seven and walking one.
The Athletics (64-82) erased an 0-2 deficit with two runs in the third inning, as Brent Rooker and JJ Brady had hits off Max Shuman and Ryan Norda, respectively. Rooker reached 100 RBIs this season with his run-scoring single.
The Athletics’ three-run sixth included a home run by McCann and another RBI single by Rooker, who hit Shuman off batter Caleb Ferguson.
Brown gave up five earned runs in five starts last month and completed six scoreless innings last week against the Cincinnati Reds. He last pitched just five innings on May 17.
Estes (7-7) gave up three runs (2 ERA) on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings, struck out two and walked one. He gave up a sacrifice fly ball to Jake Meyers to score Alex Bregman in the second inning, then scored on Mauricio Dubon to give Jeremy Pena a 2-0 lead.
The Astros (77-68) added an unearned run in the third when Kyle Tucker brought Bregman home by hitting an RBI single off Tyler Ferguson in the eighth. But Ferguson held the line, and Oakland closer Mason Miller pitched a perfect ninth inning for his 24th save.
Jose Altuve, Houston’s nine-time All-Star second baseman, left the game at the end of the fifth inning because of physical discomfort. The leadoff hitter went 0 for 3 and struck out in his final at-bat, during which he was injured.
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